Odell catches passes, shows leadership skills
Any football activity this time of year involving Odell Beckham Jr. is worth noting, given that he is coming off surgery to repair a fractured left ankle. And so, the sight of Beckham for the first time catching some passes in a few individual drills early in Thursday morning’s minicamp practice was a positive development for the Giants.
“Well, it’s terrific,’’ head coach Pat Shurmur said. “We all know what a great player he is. He’s making progress to getting fully cleared. You can see he’s lively, he’s involved, he’s taking all the mental reps he can. Yeah, it’s great.’’
Beckham has looked spry moving around on the field. The Giants are not offering a specific timetable for his return, but the feeling is he will be at full speed by training camp.
“It’s hard to tell,’’ Shurmur said. “It’s a process when you come back from injury like that. As he makes progress we’ll keep getting updates. Learn what he can learn whatever way he can and try to get him ready to go so when he’s back out there full he’s ripping and rolling.’’
Beckham was injured Oct. 8 in a game against the Chargers and underwent surgery a day later. He has attended the offseason workout program and did what he could at the threeday voluntary camp that concluded Thursday.
He cannot do much on the field yet, but that does not mean Beckham cannot contribute. Outsiders may view him a distraction or a problem in the locker room, but he is actually an embracing teammate.
Second-year receiver Travis Rudolph had difficulty navigating the breeze and dropped three consecutive punts. After the third drop, Beckham interrupted the drill by speaking with Rudolph to offer encouragement and then slapped hands with him. Rudolph caught the next punt.
Give Shurmur credit for impressive anticipation. Here is how he opened up his post-practice media session: “I’ll lead off by saying anyone that has the Davis Webb question, think of another one. I think he did a much better job the second and third day. He showed up today and he is following Eli [ Manning’s] lead.’’
A year ago, tight end Evan Engram was gearing up for the draft.
“I remember that day like it was yesterday,’’ said Engram, who went to the Giants with the 23rd pick.
Engram has a special interest in this draft, as he and defensive end Bradley Chubb — who the Broncos selected with the No. 5 overall pick — played together at Hillgrove High School in Georgia. Engram offered advice to his former teammate.
“It was by far one of the best days of my life and I told him to just enjoy it and savor the moment,’’ Engram said.